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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · pound · current · bass · sharp · stem · bound · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. club — a group
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bass — the fish
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bound — certain
  18. current — happening now
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bass — low music
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bound — tied together
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com